Wounded Muse

Qiang returns to his homeland of China from Silicon Valley to find Beijing undergoing a chaotic transformation in the lead up to hosting the 2008 Olympic Games. Wrecking balls are knocking down entire neighborhoods to make way for new structures more in line with the government's vision of a modern China. The tumult inspires Qiang to shoot a documentary about the loss of affordable housing, which draws the attention of public security officials. When Qiang is suddenly arrested by local police, it falls on his friend Jake, an American journalist who admires Qiang and his work, to try to figure out how to end the detention. With few options, Jake enlists the help of those he's not sure he can trust. Dawei, a Chinese itinerant Jake befriended years earlier, returns to Beijing in the midst of a cat-and-mouse game Jake is playing with the authorities to retrieve a memento that has suddenly become extremely valuable. Dawei becomes ensnared in a plan to force the authorities to release Qiang, and Jake must then decide who survives. Based on real events, Robert F. Delaney's The Wounded Muse takes readers to a city and country undergoing a transformation on a scale previously unseen, where in the shadowed wreckage of forgotten communities people are pushed to psychological extremes to secure their position.

In the neon-drenched Spired City, where artists wield brushes like swords and melodies are weapons of light, a shadow whispers. The Muse, manipulator of minds and weaver of despair, has retreated, but its melody still lingers, a discordant echo in the city's triumphant symphony. Eleanor, the conductor of this luminous defiance, faces a new challenge. Cracks have appeared in the city's once-united front, whispers of doubt slithering through alleyways and studios. Can she rekindle the spark of creativity in each artist's soul, forging a melody of resilience stronger than ever before? Meanwhile, beyond the city's vibrant walls, an enigmatic figure emerges from the shadows. A stranger with eyes like molten gold and a touch that breathes life into forgotten dreams. Is she an ally, drawn by the city's defiant symphony, or something more sinister, a pawn in the Muse's insidious game? Will you venture deeper into the heart of the city, where artists grapple with self-doubt and rediscover their creative fire? Or will you join the enigmatic stranger on a perilous journey into the Muse's domain, unraveling the secrets of its power and facing the darkness head-on? The next movement of the waltz awaits, a thrilling collision of light and shadow, defiance and despair. Choose your path, dear reader, and let the symphony of your imagination guide you forward.

Examines how American military power was employed during Operation Just Cause, including the planning process and joint efforts of the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps during major combat operations. Also details post-combat stability and nation-building operations.

The majority of the British population no longer attend church and, consequently, lack familiarity with the Christian tradition, its stories, language and metaphors. However, when bereaved, many still turn to church representatives, working in parish settings or chaplaincies, to perform funerals for their loved ones. The key issue addressed in this book is how funerals may be created which are not only relevant for the bereaved, but also have theological integrity. A paradigm shift in the manner by which funerals are constructed is proposed - from imposing alien liturgies to creating a unique ritual which evolves from the meeting of the stories of the bereaved and that of the ritual leader. The argument for the co-construction of funerals is informed by contemporary models of grief and Kelly's own experience with bereaved parents who worked with hospital chaplains to co-construct funerals for their babies. Co-construction is a process which is centred on listening and empowering, and involves offering the bereaved choices from a range of ritual resources (sacred and secular) in order to help them shape their funeral's content. It is a model of ritual construction which requires time, availability and risk-taking on the part of the ritual leader but which significantly helps the spiritual needs of the bereaved to be met. Moreover, such a process facilitates sensitive regulation of grief in an age where its privatisation has meant the bereaved are often bereft of a means by which to benchmark their feelings, behaviour and decision making.

The actions of the Tennessee Brigade were that of a brave fighting force and the contributions they made to the Confederate Army are emphasized in this extensively researched history book. Letters, personal photos of the Confederates, and diary entries present a closer look at individual members and their experiences. Maps with text offer details on specific conflicts, while current photographs of battlefields and monuments put the brigade's story into a contemporary context. Background of the tumultuous political climate brewing in the state of Tennessee is included for reference.